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BLM Group USA has introduced the CM602 automatic CNC sawing machine that can handle tube and bar up to 102 mm (4 in.) in diameter, depending on the material and can achieve blade speeds up to 5,000 rpm.

Hypertherm has launched its lasted development in mechanized plasma cutting with a new class of plasma called X-Definition. This new plasma is available for the first time in a 300 amp plasma system called the XPR300.

CN plans to spend $2.5 billion in 2017 to improve its core infrastructure, which includes replacement of 2.2 million rail ties, installation of more than 966 km (600 miles) of new rail, and work in bridges, branch line upgrades and other general track maintenance.

Hypertherm is holding its "Spark Something Great" education grant program again in 2017. The contest is open to Canadian and US schools and 10 North American winners will receive Hypertherm's new Powermax45 XP plasma cutting and gouging system and the company's Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice curriculum kit.

Four lasers can be used for micro welding: pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG), continuous wave (CW) fiber, quasi continuous wave (QCW) fiber, and nanosecond fiber. Each laser type offers unique features that work best for specific applications. Here is a comparison of the pulsed Nd:YAG laser with the three fiber laser options, and a discussion of why and when one might be chosen over the other. In some cases, several options may work; in that case, cost of ownership and serviceability can tip the scales.

Two Windsor manufacturers are the latest recipients in a recent slew of funding announcements by the Federal government. Newmak of Canada Corp. in partnership with Arbec Tool and Machine Ltd., both based in Windsor, ON, have received funding of up to $3 million to support development of stronger engine blocks made of lightweight aluminum.